Using the forums for research

[topcat]

Using the forums is a great start when researching but not all forums seem to be completely honest and allow the free flow of information. They seem to direct the flow in a specific direction that benefits only their paid sponsors. Of course posters that are not civil when expressing their views would become a complete distraction over time but strong honest opinions should always be welcome as it gives others the opportunity to debate while educating the group as a whole.

During your research if you believe you have come across a forum where the information is being filtered and directed I strongly suggest crossing off each and every clinic that would sponsor such a site. You see no matter how great a clinic is or how excellent their work if they are willing to help pay someone to mislead others in the same field in which they do business they are no better than the person doing the misleading.

I know this seems like a simple concept but most don’t seem to get it. Of course there are many other considerations like not using doctors that have several lawsuits against patients, threats of lawsuits or vice versa along with many other considerations that are randomly brought up on the forums.

[topcat]

Here is a perfect example of a post that was recently deleted twice on another forum. It was okay for the doctor to state his view but somehow responses do not seem to be acceptable. This leaves the reader with a very skewed view and this is bad not only for the prospective patient but the industry as a whole.

H******* I’m not sure why my post to this thread was deleted, maybe it was done accidently. The posting was very civil and relevant to the discussion. It wasn’t my intention to bad mouth any particular clinic but just to express opinion and that is why I usually leave details out as it is not necessary as long as those considering surgery understand the message. I consulted with many clinics over the last 10 years or so including this one. After 3 cancelled appointments by the clinic, one no show online consultation and then one online consultation with what seemed to some type of rep along with the constant form letters of when I would like to schedule a procedure was one giant screaming red flag. Very cold and impersonal in my opinion. Of course some things can always be blamed on others but the fact is sometimes one does need to take personal responsibility as that garners more respect then handing off the blame to others. These thoughts are all important when choosing a clinic regardless of it’s your first procedure or you are in need of repair.

It’s not a hard concept to understand as I do it in my own work. If the customer misuderstood than it is I who is to blame as I am repsonsible for the customer understanding.

Repair patients are in a unique position as they seem to understand the industry much better than most and more often than not they are going to be very critical when moving forward. But the funny thing is from my own experiences interacting with so many repair patients I have found them as a group to be some of the nicest and most sincere people I have ever met with most going out of their way to help others if they can. Sometimes I think this very fact is one of the reasons they are repair patients. Since they are honest sincere people they tend to believe those around them are the same. Unfortunately the cold hard facts of life are that this is not true.

As a repair patient my expectations of improvement were always very, very low. Of course I always hoped for the best but what was most important to me was that the clinic and doctor were caring, skillful and willing to give it a try. If it failed it would have been no problem as the intentions were there to do something good.

What would have been unacceptable to me is a clinic that put their bottom line before everything else. That is reflected in not having the time to build relationships with patients, not having the time to hire staff that cares about what they are doing and pay them well enough so they know that their unique abilities are appreciated. We can add so many more pieces to the puzzle of what a patient that knows the industry considers outstanding traits. When a doctor has the time to meet his commitments he has organized himself in such a way that the commitments are more important than numbers and money. How many clinics out there have sued their own patients for one reason or another? What it shows is lack of commitment in taking the time to understand the patients expectations and if necessary turning them away. If I know that there are patients out there that simply do not have realistic expectations and often request something that is irresponsible then clinics should know the same.

I don’t think any repair patient has a right to complain about results if the approach is small procedures over time with constant evaluation along the way and this is what responsible clinics do. As far as how a patient is treated that burdens rests with the person running the clinic there simply is no one else to blame.

When I walk into a clinic and I have a warm feeling as soon as I make contact with that receptionist, when the clinic develops relationships with all their patients, when any question or contact I make is instantly recognized, when the doctor is not only highly skilled but just naturally a warm and friendly person I know I have arrived at the right place.

[topcat]

Depending on which forum you use you have to understand which doctors are being recommended by which posters and try to understand the reasons why? This is not always in your best interest so at least be aware of it. Do not limit your research to just the forums and especially only one forum.

[topcat]

Who are these posters that are recommending doctors and what is their background. Start asking questions and stop going along with this crap. Who are you, what is your background and why are you recommending this doctor? Very simple.

The majority of these posters that are recommending doctors have never even had procedures with the doctors they are recommending. Yet many seem to be okay with just following along with the recommendations.

[Follicle Death Row]

Depending on which forum you use you have to understand which doctors are being recommended by which posters and try to understand the reasons why?

That sir, is the right question.